What Sentence Diagrams Reveal About President Obama

Something that most people - even his political opponents - agree on is that President Barack Obama is a fairly gifted orator. On those occasions when he speaks extemporaneously, he still struggles with vocalized pauses - those lengthy "Uhhmmms" and "Errrrrs" - but in general, he can compose articulate sentences and typically does fine work with a prepared speech.

But is GRAMMAR, itself, in the tank for Obama? Apparently so, and all it takes to reveal this truth is a trip back to the most hated part of your middle school education: sentence diagramming. Below, blogger Garth Risk Hallberg diagrammed a sentence from Obama's recent press conference - coincidentally, his response to the question put to him by our own Sam Stein:

My view is also that nobody's above the law, and, if there are clear instances of wrongdoing, that people should be prosecuted just like any ordinary citizen, but that, generally speaking, I'm more interested in looking forward than I am in looking backwards.

Hallberg says that the visual alone "offers several insights":

First, the elegant balance of the central construction (My view is that x, and that y, but also that z) shows that Obama has a good memory for where he's been, grammatically, and a strong sense of where he's going. His tripartite analysis of the problem is clearly reflected in the structure of the sentence, and thus in the three main branches of the diagram. (Turn it on its side and it could be a mobile.) The third "that" - thrown in 29 words into a 43-word sentence - creates three parallel predicate nouns. And then there's a little parallel flourish at the end: "I am more interested in looking forward than I am in looking back."

By contrast, the diagrams of typical George W. Bush sentences are indistinguishable from Google Earth closeups of small rodents, drowned in mud puddles. But watch out, Obamaphiles! Obama's grammatical structure reveals terrible, dark secrets as well! For starters, he uses "copulative predicates" - literally some sort of terrible word-sodomy! But even worse is this:

Notice the canny way that the sentence above turns on the fulcrum of what may be Obama's favorite word: "but." What appears to be a hard line - "My view is... that nobody is above the law" - turns out to have been a qualifier for a vaguer but more inspiring motto: "I am more interested in looking forward than I am in looking back." The most controversial part of the sentence - "people should be prosecuted" - gets tucked away, almost parenthetically, in the middle.

So there you have it! Watch for Obama to continue to hide "controversy" in the middle of parenthetical clauses, where only William Ayers, with his Chicago Machine education, can find them!

Comments

[fmayflow]

"Jason! What the H----ll? If you can't find something to write about, just take the day off. Oh, I'm sorry seems like that's what you did.

[CitizenFarmer]

Sentence diagramming takes me back to middle-school. The downside to sentence diagramming is that it is tedious, takes time, requires concentration, etc. similar to math. For that reason it is probably no longer emphazised in middle-school. Obama is a better speaker than Bush. The reference to rodents and mud puddles by the author also takes me back to middle-school playground name calling.

[maab76]

For those interested: pre-diagrams of sentences can be a really good tool for learning to write a sentence that is understandable. It is a great help in learning to write reports and other assigned or required papers. The higher we move up the academic ladder, the more we need to master language skills to be successful. The compound/complex sentences can get one in a pail of hot water. Many disdain the simple sentence arguing that it implies a simple mind. Believe me, it can be a very effective means of communicating complex ideas to even the youngest of learners. When teaching adults to communicate with children, I try the technique of writing an outline using sentences instead of key words. The more complex can be written next if need be, but the simple sentence clears the air for communication.

[harriscrl3]

You know its more than Grammar my speech teacher would have been PROUD. His enunciation is superb. His tonality is clear and crisp. I can seriously listen to him speak for hours without growing tired. I have never heard anyone speak like that.

Carol

[Vige]

I totally agree. I loved the 7 minute answer to the first question at the Press Conference.

[Pie7]

Agreed.

[AddyGmom]

Oh Geez. I just flashed back to HS and diagramming sentences. Hated it then. No improvement with age.

That's one of the things about which students ask the question "How will this help me as an adult?"

[Charmed]

LOL.......­somebody has way to much time on their hands...

[SweetBabu]

As an editor, this article made my day. Unlike (probably) a large percentage of the population, I actually enjoyed diagramming sentences way back in eighth grade.

For me, this is just one more reason to love the Prez!

Now, can I have a job with HuffPo diagramming sentences, too?

[Buddy McCue]

But can you diagram the word soup that Sarah Palin composes?

[SurrealPumpkin]

spaghetti comes to mind, too, you betcha.

[KarenT]

Can you even imagine what an analysis of Sar*ah Pal*in would look like?

[Boomerwoman]

That's been done already. A grammarian tried to diagram one of Palin's sentences during the campaign, but gave up because it couldn't be done. Bush? Why bother.

[Pie7]

LOL

[markhas]

bush never spoke in complete sentences at least not in english.

[yellowdoggie]

I am an English teacher, and JL, I LOVE YOU!

[dadw5boys]

I BET THIS GUY HAS SOME SWAMP LAND TO SELL TOO !

[GeorgeP922]

Man gotta give it to Jason!

His bosses hands down a 4 story a day quota and on a slow "Linkings News Day" he comes up with this.

Im not being snarky at all here, Jason's bosses should be impressed.

[Smurfaveli]

Booooooooooooooooo

[LeftLeanWing]

"By contrast, the diagrams of typical George W. Bush sentences are indistinguishable from Google Earth closeups of small rodents, drowned in mud puddles".

Hahahahhahaha !

[markhas]

are there any gophers left? ohhhh! Republicans huh!

[Chapmanp2]

God, I hope you didn't get paid for that...

[Wutang4ever]

Really....­.Too much time on their hands